When Edwards opened the store, Bell said, she came into the salon to introduce herself.

"My customer was sitting in the chair and jumped up and ran into the hallway. She was so excited to meet Elizabeth Edwards," she said.

In May, Edwards participated in a story-telling show in Carrboro, called The Monti. Producer Jeff Polish said that she talked about her parents and the profound influence they had on her life.

"She was pure dignity. I just really feel that she was a class act who conducted herself with so much dignity," Polish said. "She was a first-class person, no matter what has gone on in her life, no matter what anyone has said about her or about her family. I just think she is Grade A."